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Investigators have recovered a data recorder from El Faro, the doomed cargo ship that sunk last year, killing 33

U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation has been conducting a high-level inquiry into the wreck for months

(CNN)The National Transportation Safety Board has recovered the data recorder of El Faro, a ship that sank with all hands on board last year near the Bahamas.

Investigators hope to find GPS navigational data and crew communications on the recorder that will give them a window into the final hours of the doomed ship that sunk during Hurricane Joaquin in October.

The entire crew, 33 members, went down with the ship.

Floating debris from El Faro wreckage

"The recovery of the recorder has the potential to give our investigators greater insight into the incredible challenges that the El Faro crew faced," said NTSB Chairman Christopher A. Hart.

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The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation, which is trying to determine whether commercial pressure, negligence in cargo security or poor safety culture had anything to do with the accident, heard a second round of testimony in May about the ship's stability and cargo security, according to maritime-union.com.

"Furthermore, the board heard that the US-flagged cargo ship received outdated weather forecasts before it encountered Hurricane Joaquin, while the former El Faro master, Capt. Jack Hern, earlier said that he had raised concerns over the ship's stability, citing water integrity issues, wear on hatches and boilers that often needed maintenance as key vulnerabilities," maritime-union.com reported.